Sherlock Hound

Guest Author - Lesley Aeschliman

Sherlock Hound is an anime series based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes series; in this telling, most of the characters are depicted as anthropomorphic dogs. The anime was produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and RAI. Six episodes of the series were directed by Hayao Miyazaki until issues with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's estate arose and halted production. By the time these issues had been resolved, Miyazaki had moved on to other projects.

The remaining episodes of the series were directed by Kyosuke Mikuriya. In 1984, two episodes directed by Hayao Miyazaki were made into a film and released alongside Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind in Japanese theaters. The 26 episodes of Sherlock Hound aired on TV Asahi from November 6, 1984-May 20, 1985. Currently, the American license for Sherlock Hound is owned by the now-defunct Geneon Entertainment.

Sherlock Hound is the main character of the series. Like his Sherlock Holmes counterpart, he has strong intellect and has a lot of knowledge in multiple fields. He's also cool and logical, regardless of whatever situation he finds himself in. Unlike most of the characters, Sherlock is a fox rather than a dog.

John Watson is Hound's companion and he is a trained doctor. He tries to help out as he can, but it can be hard to keep up, especially with being a bit overweight. Watson is a Scottish Terrier.

Marie Hudson is Hound and Watson's landlady, and she's a widow in her 20s. She's also the love interest for many of the male cast members. She's quick and resourceful, and also has some skills with a revolver. Marie is a Golden Retriever.

Professor Moriarty is the main antagonist in Sherlock Hound. He personally works on his plans without any real support network. He's a master inventor, who has complex and outlandish plans that usually rely on linking together unusual acts.

In the series, Moriarty is a purple wolf. He has two henchmen named Smiley and George/Todd who were designed specifically for the series. Smiley is tall, lanky, and isn't very bright. George/Todd is small and squat, and tends to have a negative outlook on situations.

When watching Sherlock Hound, you can definitely tell Miyazaki had a hand in it just by seeing the character designs. When it comes to the visuals, I saw nothing offensive for younger viewers, unless you don't like seeing the idea of seeing Sherlock Hound with a pipe in his mouth. Personally, I would recommend Sherlock Hound to anime viewers who are seven or eight years of age and older.